HUNTSVILLE, Ala., Oct. 27 /PRNewswire/ -- NATURE-SDIplus, a best practice network for spatial data infrastructure (SDI) in European nature conservation, has selected Intergraph(R) to build a geoportal to harmonize and improve access to national datasets. NATURE-SDIplus supports the Infrastructure for Spatial Information in Europe (INSPIRE) directive launched by the European Commission in 2002 to make geographic information available for developing community policies and initiatives.

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"The need to have information on nature conservation geo-referenced and available at the European Union (EU) level has grown in recent years," said Giorgio Saio of the GISIG association, project coordinator of NATURE-SDIplus. "The environmental policies of Europe now call for accessible, interoperable and harmonized datasets. As one of the founding members of the Open Geospatial Consortium and a leader in the development of industry standards for spatial data sharing, Intergraph's flexible, open technology platform will play an invaluable role in Europe's conservation efforts."

NATURE-SDIplus aims to improve the harmonization of national datasets on nature conservation, making them accessible and exploitable at all levels of government and to additional parties including commercial data providers, universities and research institutes, environmental NGOs, industrial and engineering companies and the public. The project defines a common multilingual and multicultural approach for simpler, more standardized access to spatial data.

"Over the past several years, organizations around the world have acquired Intergraph technology to assist with a wide variety of SDI efforts," said Grzegorz Wisniewski, regional vice president for Intergraph Government & Transportation. "From land planning and management to state surveying and environmental efforts - from Spain to the Slovak Republic - organizations are increasingly realizing and embracing the power of SDI applications to simplify spatial data exchange for countless initiatives."

With Intergraph's SDI application, organizations can seamlessly share harmonized data with internal and external audiences in the most ideal formats. An innovator in geospatial technologies for the past 40 years, Intergraph provides deep technical and domain knowledge in government operations dealing with geospatial information to ensure smooth and successful SDI implementations.

Further information on Intergraph's SDI application can be found at http://www.intergraph.com/govt/sdi.aspx.

About NATURE-SDIplus

NATURE-SDIplus is a best practice network aimed at the harmonization of EU national datasets on nature conservation in compliance with the INSPIRE directive funded by the eContentplus programme of the Information Society and Media Directorate General of the European Commission. For more information, please visit: www.nature-sdi.eu.

About Intergraph

Intergraph is the leading global provider of engineering and geospatial software that enables customers to visualize complex data. Businesses and governments in more than 60 countries rely on Intergraph's industry-specific software to organize vast amounts of data into understandable visual representations and actionable intelligence. Intergraph's software and services empower customers to build and operate more efficient plants and ships, create intelligent maps and protect critical infrastructure and millions of people around the world.

Intergraph operates through two divisions: Process, Power & Marine (PP&M) and Security, Government & Infrastructure (SG&I). Intergraph PP&M provides enterprise engineering software for the design, construction and operation of plants, ships and offshore facilities. Intergraph SG&I provides geospatially-powered solutions to the defense and intelligence, public safety and security, government, transportation, photogrammetry, utilities and communications industries. For more information, visit www.intergraph.com.

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Web site: http://www.intergraph.com/
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